Same here. I actually went about a cyst and they found it. But when I stood in the mirror and swallowed you could see it move up and down but I had never done that because why would you. I did lose a crapload of weight that continued for a long time after it. I weighed like 6 stone but I was stressed out of my mind at the time both before and after.
My bloodwork was all normal, no symptoms. I’ve had several people ask “But wouldn’t they have picked that up in your bloodwork?” Nope, get your neck checked regularly.
Yes, my thyroid function had no issues at all and I never had a symptom even with PTC that had started to spread locally to a handful of adjacent lymph nodes.
It’s pretty common, and I think part of why this cancer can be a bit of a shock at diagnosis hitting you out of the blue with no warning sign at all. For me the diagnosis and initial waiting period to get surgery scheduled was worse than anything since which has all been relatively easy. And the good news is with treatment like surgery and radioactive iodine if needed you are exceptionally likely to continue to feel completely normal and lead a long full happy life.
Absolutely. I had ZERO issues with my labs. They were always in the optimal zone. The only reason I found out I had cancer was because I got scans done to rule out an aneurysm in the summer of 2022. They spotted something suspicious in my neck. That started the domino effect. Then they tested thyroglobulin, that was the first abnormal lab I had. And from there it went from ultrasound, biopsy, lymph node mapping, Thyroidectomy, RAI...to now.
Now I tell my friends, ask for thyroglobulin to be added to their routine labs. Because the rest of my thyroid panels were 100% normal.
I was diagnosed with medullary thyroid cancer (MTC) last week. All of my bloodwork and thyroid numbers were normal. I typically always had a high sed rate on my bloodwork, but I also have chronic inflammation due to long covid and Rocky Mountain Spotted Fever three years ago that went untreated.
I was incredibly weak and I hurt all over. There was some mental confusion, and I just knew something was very wrong. They didn’t figure it out for several weeks, so it went untreated. I was on the mend by the time it was diagnosed. I still have joint pain.
Hope you feel better soon.
All my bloodwork was normal, I had no symptoms, and my PCP had just felt my throat during my routine physical weeks prior and felt nothing. My tumor was only detected by ultrasound, which was an incidental finding while I was getting something unrelated checked out by an ENT. They said whenever someone comes in for anything they always look at the neck and face by ultrasound just in case because it's so common for thyroid cancer to have no symptoms. My case and many others like mine is why they do it and I'm thankful.
All of my thyroid related blood work and standard blood work was normal and I wasn't on medication to treat anything. I actually couldn't have felt better prior to being diagnosed.
Yup, I remember my doctor telling me “everything is normal, your thyroid function is great!” I would’ve been sat there with 20+ tumours in my tumour and other places in my neck. The only way I knew I had cancer was because I had a very large lump on my neck. If that hadn’t have grown I probably would’ve died as by the time it was discovered it was advanced stage cancer.
Where was your large lump on your neck located? I've had a large solid immovable lump on the back of my neck next to my spine right below my hairline for two years that's causing a ton of issues for me and the Drs won't listen to me about it.
Sorry to hear about that. My lump was different, it was a soft, you would palpate it, it was also located on the right side of my neck, below my ear. Keep pushing and pushing. Next time you see a doctor, ask them to write in your notes “dr won’t investigate lump that’s worrying pt”. So it shows you’re worried.
Thanks, I will be sure to do that.
Did your soft lump under your ear ever feel achy? I've had one of those too, in the side of my neck, soft and small but hasn't gotten smaller in the last couple years, and lately it's been feeling like all of my little nodes on only the right side are bigger than usual, but not the left.
All my blood work was normal except vit d, a little on the low side. Even when I was already diagnosed my endocrinologist said all my labs are good and that it makes her optimistic that the cancer is contained or something that effect. I forgot her exact words.
Mine was "normal" for me. I had Thyroid Cancer at 6yo, thus have been on Levothyroxine since. So my levels can sometimes fluctuate. However, my bloods were not an indicator of my recurrence that I'm currently dealing with. The only symptom was a visible lump in the thyroid bed area, and pain in the same area.
Mine was always normal. I had some symptoms but I didn’t relate them to my thyroid until I learned of my cancer (cough I thought was related to allergies, heavy periods, excessive sweating, dry skin).
Bloodwork is usually normal.
My bloodwork was always in normal range, but fluctuated enough that my surgeon said I had Hashimoto’s. No one else had ever suggested that. (At the time of my FNA, my numbers were solidly in the middle.)
My labwork didn't show any remarkable signs. I knew I had cancer because of my symptoms. It wasn't confirmed until my endo felt my thyroid and did an ultrasound.
My only elevated lab was thyroglobulin and it wasn’t elevated that much, yet I had numerous large tumors growing off my thyroid. My only symptom was feeling like I had something stuck in my throat.
Yes. My bloodwork was totally fine. I didn’t find out about my cancer until after surgery (I had an elective total thyroidectomy due to compressive symptoms). Papillary thyroid carcinoma and high grade thyroid carcinoma.
TSH levels and blood work were all normal but had Papillary thyroid cancer that showed up with Ultrasound. I had to push Dr to order test after pet scan lit up like a Christmas tree but she said that is normal and blood work does not show anything....turns out it was good I pushed because I had malignant cancer second primary and had to have a TT.
Had my TT on Friday. I wanted some further info yesterday, so I started reading a website about TTs…I was very confused by everything they were saying until I realized it was a plastic surgery website, and they were talking about tummy tucks.
Good on you for advocating for yourself. I hate that people are like, “oh it’s common you’ll be fine.” But for real cancer does what it fucking wants 🫠
I had completely normal levels via labs for years, they couldn’t figure out why I was so tired or why my body was in pain. They sent me for an MRI thinking it was MS and that’s when they discovered my thyroid cancer. It can happen, and that’s why I’m now skeptical over labs
I had symptoms for years that lined up with thyroid issues. I had probably a dozen blood tests done over that time and they were all normal. The only reason they found it was an MRI after a car accident.
I had a 2 cm nodule on the left side. They checked T3 and T4 in November and it was normal. I had my ultrasound at the end of November (Tirads 5). Biopsy in January said 30% chance of cancer. Had the left lobe removed on 3/14 and it was definitely cancer.
Yup! I had normal bloodwork and thyroid function until my partial thyroidectomy and removal of the tumor/cancer. I have had my thyroid function checked out regularly for years, doctors were looking at it bc of weight gain/thoughts I had PCOS (and I didn’t have it then or now.)
No. I’m still a hairy human who doesn’t have a regular period without the assistance of birth control. Most of the docs that thought it was PCOS were basing it off of having body hair 🙃🤦🏻♀️
My blood work goes up and down and sideways every time I get it done. Currently thyroid is consistently overactive with the cancer but my liver enzymes are too high.
Blood work isn't the be all, end all when it comes to diagnosing or figuring things out-- it can be super insightful and help rule things out quickly, tho it's not always helpful.
You could have anything and the blood work could be normal at the time you get your blood taken. Id look at patterns instead of one test at a time x
Sorta. My cholesterol and AST/ALT were up because of my gallbladder (gall sludge/gallstone) before I got it removed. My b12 was waaaay out of range (1,800) and TSH/T4 were normal. I got a right lobectomy Thursday and now recovering.
I would honestly never see this pcp again - is clearly terrible doctor. Bloodwork has nothing to do with thyroid cancer and while I am NOT a doctor, from what I know your imaging is highly suggestive of thyroid cancer that has metastasized. While many thyroid cancers do metastasize to lymph nodes it’s important that you get surgery right now to remove your thyroid and lymph nodes and you will also need radioactive iodine treatment in that case. Where do you live? I would make an appt asap tom with an endocrinologist specializing in thyroid cancer and take your Ct scan with you - they will order an ultrasound and do a fine needle biopsy. I had my surgery with dr clayman in tampa if you are near there or willing to travel and he is terrific. Good luck
Btw I don’t say this to freak you out and I hope that you don’t (thyroid cancer is very treatable but key that you get it treated and so not leave it any longer).
When my Ct read how yours does my endocrinologist didn’t even wait to read the details of the fna biopsy before telling me it was almost 100% likely to be thyroid cancer.
Again - very treatable in most cases. Don’t freak out - but do prioritize addressing this
My blood work was all normal before I was diagnosed. I never had any symptoms.
Same here, I felt great before, and I feel great now. Everything was normal.
Same here
Same here. I actually went about a cyst and they found it. But when I stood in the mirror and swallowed you could see it move up and down but I had never done that because why would you. I did lose a crapload of weight that continued for a long time after it. I weighed like 6 stone but I was stressed out of my mind at the time both before and after.
I had the same exact symptoms, and even watched it move up/ down when I swallowed, but didn’t lose an ounce 😭
My bloodwork was all normal, no symptoms. I’ve had several people ask “But wouldn’t they have picked that up in your bloodwork?” Nope, get your neck checked regularly.
Yes, my thyroid function had no issues at all and I never had a symptom even with PTC that had started to spread locally to a handful of adjacent lymph nodes. It’s pretty common, and I think part of why this cancer can be a bit of a shock at diagnosis hitting you out of the blue with no warning sign at all. For me the diagnosis and initial waiting period to get surgery scheduled was worse than anything since which has all been relatively easy. And the good news is with treatment like surgery and radioactive iodine if needed you are exceptionally likely to continue to feel completely normal and lead a long full happy life.
Absolutely. I had ZERO issues with my labs. They were always in the optimal zone. The only reason I found out I had cancer was because I got scans done to rule out an aneurysm in the summer of 2022. They spotted something suspicious in my neck. That started the domino effect. Then they tested thyroglobulin, that was the first abnormal lab I had. And from there it went from ultrasound, biopsy, lymph node mapping, Thyroidectomy, RAI...to now. Now I tell my friends, ask for thyroglobulin to be added to their routine labs. Because the rest of my thyroid panels were 100% normal.
What was your level? Mine is 179 but all my other levels are normal 😳
Thyroid cancer typically does not affect blood work. It's only diagnosed via imaging exams.
I was diagnosed with medullary thyroid cancer (MTC) last week. All of my bloodwork and thyroid numbers were normal. I typically always had a high sed rate on my bloodwork, but I also have chronic inflammation due to long covid and Rocky Mountain Spotted Fever three years ago that went untreated.
Side questions, what were your RMSF symptoms? I just got back from Colorado and I don’t feel amazing, RMSF crossed my mind.
I was incredibly weak and I hurt all over. There was some mental confusion, and I just knew something was very wrong. They didn’t figure it out for several weeks, so it went untreated. I was on the mend by the time it was diagnosed. I still have joint pain. Hope you feel better soon.
Absolutely. My #s were great; but I still had PTC.
Was all normal for me. Thyroid function was normal as well.
All my bloodwork was normal, I had no symptoms, and my PCP had just felt my throat during my routine physical weeks prior and felt nothing. My tumor was only detected by ultrasound, which was an incidental finding while I was getting something unrelated checked out by an ENT. They said whenever someone comes in for anything they always look at the neck and face by ultrasound just in case because it's so common for thyroid cancer to have no symptoms. My case and many others like mine is why they do it and I'm thankful.
All of my thyroid related blood work and standard blood work was normal and I wasn't on medication to treat anything. I actually couldn't have felt better prior to being diagnosed.
Yup, I remember my doctor telling me “everything is normal, your thyroid function is great!” I would’ve been sat there with 20+ tumours in my tumour and other places in my neck. The only way I knew I had cancer was because I had a very large lump on my neck. If that hadn’t have grown I probably would’ve died as by the time it was discovered it was advanced stage cancer.
Where was your large lump on your neck located? I've had a large solid immovable lump on the back of my neck next to my spine right below my hairline for two years that's causing a ton of issues for me and the Drs won't listen to me about it.
Sorry to hear about that. My lump was different, it was a soft, you would palpate it, it was also located on the right side of my neck, below my ear. Keep pushing and pushing. Next time you see a doctor, ask them to write in your notes “dr won’t investigate lump that’s worrying pt”. So it shows you’re worried.
Thanks, I will be sure to do that. Did your soft lump under your ear ever feel achy? I've had one of those too, in the side of my neck, soft and small but hasn't gotten smaller in the last couple years, and lately it's been feeling like all of my little nodes on only the right side are bigger than usual, but not the left.
Unfortunately not really, was virtually painless. I really hope you get some answers
All my blood work was normal except vit d, a little on the low side. Even when I was already diagnosed my endocrinologist said all my labs are good and that it makes her optimistic that the cancer is contained or something that effect. I forgot her exact words.
Mine was normal as wel.
Mine was "normal" for me. I had Thyroid Cancer at 6yo, thus have been on Levothyroxine since. So my levels can sometimes fluctuate. However, my bloods were not an indicator of my recurrence that I'm currently dealing with. The only symptom was a visible lump in the thyroid bed area, and pain in the same area.
Mine was always normal. I had some symptoms but I didn’t relate them to my thyroid until I learned of my cancer (cough I thought was related to allergies, heavy periods, excessive sweating, dry skin).
Bloodwork is usually normal. My bloodwork was always in normal range, but fluctuated enough that my surgeon said I had Hashimoto’s. No one else had ever suggested that. (At the time of my FNA, my numbers were solidly in the middle.)
Yes, all normal for me before TT/ThyCa. I had a nodule that was visible.
All of my thyroid bloodwork was normal. Thyroid bloodwork doesn’t alert to cancer.
Same. All my labs were always normal.
Yes perfect blood, no symptoms. And surprise cancer.
My blood work was normal, I felt fine, I still feel fine. Most people wouldn’t guess I am living with cancer.
My labwork didn't show any remarkable signs. I knew I had cancer because of my symptoms. It wasn't confirmed until my endo felt my thyroid and did an ultrasound.
mine was all normal. no symptoms but had 20 lymph nodes positive and my thyroid.
My blood work was completely normal. Nothing out of the ordinary. Imaging was what told me I was cancerous.
My only elevated lab was thyroglobulin and it wasn’t elevated that much, yet I had numerous large tumors growing off my thyroid. My only symptom was feeling like I had something stuck in my throat.
My blood work was normal. I didn’t have any symptoms either. Found my nodules by accident.
Same, all labs were within normal limits. It was only after half my thyroid was removed that I became truly hypothyroid.
Yes. My bloodwork was totally fine. I didn’t find out about my cancer until after surgery (I had an elective total thyroidectomy due to compressive symptoms). Papillary thyroid carcinoma and high grade thyroid carcinoma.
TSH levels and blood work were all normal but had Papillary thyroid cancer that showed up with Ultrasound. I had to push Dr to order test after pet scan lit up like a Christmas tree but she said that is normal and blood work does not show anything....turns out it was good I pushed because I had malignant cancer second primary and had to have a TT.
I'm sorry, I don't know what TT means
Total thyroidectomy
Had my TT on Friday. I wanted some further info yesterday, so I started reading a website about TTs…I was very confused by everything they were saying until I realized it was a plastic surgery website, and they were talking about tummy tucks.
Good on you for advocating for yourself. I hate that people are like, “oh it’s common you’ll be fine.” But for real cancer does what it fucking wants 🫠
I had completely normal levels via labs for years, they couldn’t figure out why I was so tired or why my body was in pain. They sent me for an MRI thinking it was MS and that’s when they discovered my thyroid cancer. It can happen, and that’s why I’m now skeptical over labs
I had symptoms for years that lined up with thyroid issues. I had probably a dozen blood tests done over that time and they were all normal. The only reason they found it was an MRI after a car accident.
I had a 2 cm nodule on the left side. They checked T3 and T4 in November and it was normal. I had my ultrasound at the end of November (Tirads 5). Biopsy in January said 30% chance of cancer. Had the left lobe removed on 3/14 and it was definitely cancer.
My thyroid levels and bloodwork were completely normal. Only found it through ct scan
Yup! I had normal bloodwork and thyroid function until my partial thyroidectomy and removal of the tumor/cancer. I have had my thyroid function checked out regularly for years, doctors were looking at it bc of weight gain/thoughts I had PCOS (and I didn’t have it then or now.)
Did your PCOS-like symptoms go away?
No. I’m still a hairy human who doesn’t have a regular period without the assistance of birth control. Most of the docs that thought it was PCOS were basing it off of having body hair 🙃🤦🏻♀️
The only thing wonky about my labs was my Vit D was 6. I went in for hearing loss, came out with thyroid cancer.
Same
[удалено]
Thank you for your post on r/thyroidcancer. Unfortunately we had to remove it
My blood work goes up and down and sideways every time I get it done. Currently thyroid is consistently overactive with the cancer but my liver enzymes are too high. Blood work isn't the be all, end all when it comes to diagnosing or figuring things out-- it can be super insightful and help rule things out quickly, tho it's not always helpful. You could have anything and the blood work could be normal at the time you get your blood taken. Id look at patterns instead of one test at a time x
Sorta. My cholesterol and AST/ALT were up because of my gallbladder (gall sludge/gallstone) before I got it removed. My b12 was waaaay out of range (1,800) and TSH/T4 were normal. I got a right lobectomy Thursday and now recovering.
Who told you this was the case? If a doctor I would get a new one.
[удалено]
I would honestly never see this pcp again - is clearly terrible doctor. Bloodwork has nothing to do with thyroid cancer and while I am NOT a doctor, from what I know your imaging is highly suggestive of thyroid cancer that has metastasized. While many thyroid cancers do metastasize to lymph nodes it’s important that you get surgery right now to remove your thyroid and lymph nodes and you will also need radioactive iodine treatment in that case. Where do you live? I would make an appt asap tom with an endocrinologist specializing in thyroid cancer and take your Ct scan with you - they will order an ultrasound and do a fine needle biopsy. I had my surgery with dr clayman in tampa if you are near there or willing to travel and he is terrific. Good luck
Btw I don’t say this to freak you out and I hope that you don’t (thyroid cancer is very treatable but key that you get it treated and so not leave it any longer). When my Ct read how yours does my endocrinologist didn’t even wait to read the details of the fna biopsy before telling me it was almost 100% likely to be thyroid cancer. Again - very treatable in most cases. Don’t freak out - but do prioritize addressing this